New York -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- When Gina Keatley first moved to New York to attend culinary school , she noticed that many of her neighbors were missing limbs .

`` I lived on 99th Street across from some projects , '' she said . `` I would walk to the train and think , ` Why are there so many amputees ? ' ''

Keatley found out that many of them had to have amputations because of complications from diabetes . Diabetes can reduce blood flow to extremities and cause nerve damage , and sometimes amputations are necessary if serious infection sets in and there is severe damage to the tissue and bone .

The neighborhood where Keatley lived , East Harlem , has the highest diabetes rate in Manhattan , according to city health officials . It also has the highest obesity rate : One-third of adult residents are obese or overweight .

`` It 's so shocking to me to see people who are poor and unhealthy and literally dying in the street , '' said Keatley , an award-winning chef and nutritionist .

Keatley said that when she would visit more affluent neighborhoods near East Harlem , she would n't see nearly as many amputees . And she was pretty sure she knew why .

`` You go over this invisible line , and there are people with farmers ' markets , people with organic food ... healthy sandwich shops , '' she said .

There 's not much of that in East Harlem . Instead , the poor community is saturated with inexpensive fast food .

`` These people are literally dying for nourishment , '' she said .

Fresh out of college and determined to make a difference , Keatley turned down more lucrative jobs in the culinary industry to start Nourishing NYC . Since 2008 , the nonprofit has provided fresh food and nutritional education -- for free -- to nearly 100,000 people in Harlem and the Bronx .

Once a week , Keatley and her army of volunteers , driving in a vegetable-oil-powered truck , hand out 500 to 1,000 pounds of fresh produce to people on high-trafficked corners . The food is donated by local partners .

`` If you want somebody to try a tomato , you give them a tomato , '' Keatley said . `` It 's an inspiration . They have to feel it , touch it , taste it . ...

`` When we work with someone who 's never had a blueberry at -LRB- age -RRB- 50 and they try it ... we 're opening up people to a world of culinary they 've never had . ''

Keatley and her group also provide a recipe for how to prepare the ingredients healthfully . Sometimes they dispel myths and misconceptions .

`` A lot of people , especially with diabetes ... do n't even understand the basics of their own disease , '' said Keatley , 31 . '' -LRB- Some -RRB- think that if you wash rice , it 's no longer a carbohydrate . ...

`` We have to give them the -LRB- correct -RRB- information , because ignorance spreads . One person says it , the next person says it and then everybody thinks : ` Rice is n't a carbohydrate . We can eat as much as we want . ' ''

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Twice a week , Nourishing NYC holds nutrition classes at community gardens , shelters and nonprofit organizations that serve New York 's low-income population . In the summer , it connects with children through its Junior Chef program , which partners youth with adult volunteers who teach them basic culinary skills and encourage better food choices .

`` We really want them to start early on so we can set a ripple effect for the rest of their life , '' Keatley said . `` But at the end of the day , the parents are the ones doing the shopping . So we have to win them over as well . ''

Pedro Robles participated in the Junior Chefs summer program a year ago . Since then , the 8-year-old and his family have been frequenting their local farmers ' market in East Harlem and transforming the way they eat .

`` We learned more about the fruits and vegetables from the Junior Chefs class because Pedro taught us everything he learned , '' said Pedro 's mother , Deborah . `` We go to the farmers ' market , and he picks out all the fruits and vegetables he wants . ... Eggplant is one thing I had never tried before , and I liked it . Now we eat it all the time . ''

Nourishing NYC also holds events year-round . For example , there are local community gardening workshops for Earth Day , and around Thanksgiving the group distributes 1,000 free turkeys . It also assembles a special class of junior chefs who receive ingredients and instruction to prepare healthy holiday feasts for their families .

This month marks the launch of Keatley 's newest program , Nourishing USA , which aims to combat hunger and advocate nutrition in communities nationwide . People can apply on her organization 's website to receive a free `` Hunger Advocacy Kit '' that includes seeds for 500 meals , instructions on how to grow them , and information for hosting a food drive in their own communities .

`` We want people to have a food drive , but we give them instructions on how to do it and what products would be healthy , '' Keatley said . `` And most importantly , it teaches philanthropy to young children . The idea of not just giving a dollar ... but to do it with your own hands , to grow something , to connect with it , and then to distribute to people right in your neighborhood who really need it . ''

Keatley knows what it 's like to grow up poor . From age 4 to 14 , her family was homeless . She rarely went to school . But while her troubled childhood taught her to be more compassionate later on in life , it also taught her that someone 's past does n't have to determine their future .

`` We do n't want to let people make money an excuse and say that , ` We ca n't eat well because , you know , we 're broke , ' '' she said . `` I can feel your pain , but it 's not okay to literally be committing almost daily suicide by eating bad foods , by having your children be obese . We have to work together as a team and rise above excuses . ...

`` You really can eat healthy on a low budget . I do n't like the connection between poverty and obesity . ... Everybody deserves a long , healthy life . ''

Want to get involved ? Check out the Nourishing NYC website at www.nourishingnyc.org and see how to help .

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Gina Keatley 's nonprofit is giving fresh food to people in poor New York neighborhoods

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The group also educates people about how to eat healthy on a low budget

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Keatley is hoping to eliminate the correlation between poverty and obesity

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